"We who are born into Islam don’t talk much about the pain, the tensions and ambiguities of polygamy. (Polygamy, of course, predates Islam, but the prophet Muhammad elevated it and sanctioned it into law, just as he did child marriage.) It is in fact very difficult for all the wives and children of one man to pretend to live happily, in union. Polygamy creates a context of uncertainty, distrust, envy, and jealousy. There are plots. How much is the other wife getting? Who is the favored child? If security, safety, and predictability are the recipe for a healthy and happy family, then polygamy is everything a happy family is not. It is about conflict, uncertainty, and the constant struggle for power."
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Atheism activistsWomen activists from the United StatesCritics of IslamAfrican American atheistsAmerican former Muslims
Original Language: English
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Chapter 3, “My Mother” (pp. 24-25)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ayaan_Hirsi_Ali
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Ayaan Hirsi Ali
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